Easily the most exciting new drone of 2023 was the HoverAir X1, and now the company has quietly revealed two new models – the specs suggest a much more powerful 8K camera will be an option.
What made the original HoverAir X1 so exciting for me and many others was that it not only brought a wholly new form factor, with built-in propellor guards, but it could also be operated without a controller – instead finally fulfilling the promise of a 'follow-me' device which would track you as it caught pics and clips. It immediately became an obvious choice for our best beginner drone guide.
There were some compromises compared to the more established folding drone design, typified by the DJI Mini 4K. The clue there is in the name; the HoverAir X1 could only manage 2.7K video while soon after its launch the world's largest consumer drone brand, DJI, finally relented and offered 4K on its beginner drone.
The HoverAir X1 is also about half the weight of that drone, which means it has a shorter battery life, but that also looks to be something the new models will look to address.
Visiting the new page reveals specs of the new HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max and they're both bigger and heavier. I measure the original X1's span at about 144mm, while the Pro and Pro Max are 173mm (though the trimmed corners might actually make them more portable and aerodynamic). Weight is given for the X1 Pro at 192g (0.42 pounds), and by the looks of things we're looking at the same airframe and different camera specs.
According to HoverAir, that means 16 minutes of flight from a 1920mAh battery and the ability to fly in winds of up to level 5 (the same as DJI suggest for their Mini series).
The camera for the X1 Pro is 4K/60fps or 1080P/120fps, with a 1/2-inch CMOS, while the X1 Pro Max boasts a 1/1.3-inch sensor and formats including 8K/30fps FUHD and 4K/120fps or 4K60fps with HDR. It also offers 10-bit HLG.
Another significant addition (and, interestingly, also apparently tiered, like DJI's Mini Pro series) is "rear-side collision detection" for the X1 Pro and "vision-based active collision detection" for the Pro Max.
This is a very exciting development, pushing the X1 series past fun into a serious product. It's also interesting to speculate as to what might still be blurred out in the image. Is a controller coming?
As yet, HoverAir's site does not reveal a launch date, and experience means it's hard to be sure. The heritage of the HoverAir X1 is a 2017 Kickstarter by Zero Zero Robotics, and that certainly had delays, but this seems to be a more professional product line development from a company already shipping through traditional channels. I'd be very surprised if the wait was too long.
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